John j



(No Model.)

J. J. FOX.

y HYDRANT.

No. 556,500. Y PatentegA/Iar. 17, 1896 ANDREW 5 @PMAM Primo-umn wAsmN'rON UC UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN'J. FOX, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

HYDRANT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No..556,500, dated March 17, 1896.

Application tiled August 13, 1895. Serial No. 559,121. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. FOX, of t-he city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hydrants, of which the following is a speeiiication.

My invention relates to an improvement in hydrants, such as are commonly employed in cities and towns where there is a water-supply under head, for purposes of attaching a hose in case of tire and for flushing purposes.

The object is to provide for the prompt eX- posure of the nozzle for attaching the hose and the valve-operating rod.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view of the hydrant in side elevation, showing in dotted lines the position of the cover when opened. Fig. 2 is a view ot the hydrant in vertical section through the plane of the aXis of the nozzle for attaching the hose. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on a plane transverse to that of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a top plan view showing the cover opened.

The body of the hydrant is formed in two sections, the upper section, A, and the lower section,A, their adjacent ends being provided with flanges a and a for the purpose of bolting them together. The lower section is provided with a lateral tubular projection a2, which is adapted to be closed by a cap B hinged at the lower portion of the projection a2, as at b, so that when released it will have a tendency, under the influence of gravity, to drop away from the tubular opening CL2 and leave it exposed. The section A is also provided with a diaphragm a3, which separates its interior portion into upper and lower chambers, the said diaphragm a3 terminating in a nozzle CL4 projected within the tubular extension a2 and provided with an exterior screw-thread a5 for the attachment thereto of a hose when the cap B is opened.

Avalve-operating rod O extends longitudinally through the section A', passing through the diaphragm a3 and having its end connected with an operating-screw D engaged with a threaded socket c in a supporting-plate E bolted to lugs on the interior of the upper section, A. The rod O for operatin g the valve to admit the water to the hydrant has a swiveled connection c with the operating-screw D, and the screw D is conveniently provided with a hand-wheel CZ for turning it in its socket e to raise and lower the valve-operating rod C and hence to open and close the valve for admitting the water to the hydrant.

The top of t-he hydrant-section A is provided with a hinged cover F, to which there is secured aspringf, the tendency of which is to throw the cover F open into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l whenever the cover is released.

In the side of the upper section, A, opposite that where the cover F is hinged there is seated a rotary spindle G secured at its outer end g for the reception of a wrench to turn it. The end of the spindle Gwhich projects within the section A is provided with a latch g', which is arranged to swing over a catch f depending from the free edge of the cover F to hold the cover closed when the parts are in their normal position. The spindle G is further provided with an arm g2 projecting laterally therefrom and having connected with its free end a rod II, which extends downwardly through the plate E and connects with a locking-latch I pivotally secured to the section A at the base of the tubular projection A2 and adapted to engage a catch on the cap B when the hydrant is closed.

A spring 7L is interposed between a collar 7L' on the rod II and a lug af on the interior of the section A, the tension of which spring has a normal tendency to hold the rod depressed and hence hold the latches g and I respectively in engagement-with the catches f and b to lock the cover F and cap B in closed positions.

In operation when it is desired to open the hydrant for attaching the hose thereto and turning on the water all that is required is to give the spindle G a partial turn in a direction to throw the latch g out of engagement with the catch f, which will at the same time lift the rod H and hence rock the latch I in a direction to release it from the catch h', and thereby permit both the cover F and the cap B to simultaneously open. As soon as the parts are opened and the force exerted upon the spindle G has been suspended, the two latches will be simultaneously returned to their holding positions by the tension of the spring h, and the cover F and cap B may loe swung back, either together or singly, into IOO dle projecting through the Wall of the hydrant-body, and a second latch pivoted to the interior of the hydrant-body and connected with the spindle of the aforesaid latch to be operated by it, one of said latches being in position to hold the cover in closed position and the other to hold the cap in closed position, substantially as set forth.

JNO. J. FOX. \Vitnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, C. E. CoMBs. 

